INTRODCUTION:

Pakistan is blessed with a diversity of climatic and soil conditions in its several regions extreme cold to extreme hot, mountainous and hilly to riverine and desert plains. This enables the country to grow an amazingly large variety of trees, plants, shrubs and vines that bear fruits of many kinds.

The kernel from seeds and nuts as well as raisin and dried dates have been known in our part of the world as delicacy, as components rich and delicious food, as nutrients and also as ingredients of indigenous medicine having health giving properties.

PROFILE
Among the dry fruits, the one which is consumed in its various forms is apricot. It is used as a pulpy when fresh. When dried, it is tasty to eat and is used in making sweet dishes. The seed or stone of apricot yields kernel which is like the kernel of almond but distinguishable. Since the seeds are discarded after the pulp is consumed, apricot kernel is not available in a large quantity.

of Pakistan

Dried Fruits

Included among the fruits are also those we call dry fruits. The description covers some fruits which are dried from of soft pulpy fruits. Raisins, for example, are categorized are dried fruits, being dried grapes. Some varieties of dates are dried into what is called chhuhara or khurma.

The dry fruits are yielded by trees and plants that are indigenous to the region where Pakistan is located. They are believed to have been transplanted in other parts of the world but grow largely in Pakistan in different areas.

The most widely used among the dried fruits are dried dates. They are used in cookies, in sweet dishes and for making halwa, a sweet confection prepared and used in most of the Muslim countries in western, central and south Asia. Dried dates are also traditionally distributed among guests on the occasion of religious ceremony in Muslim weddings.

Then, there are other dry fruits which are derived from fruit stones, seeds or nuts, with hard shell around edible kernel, such as walnuts, pine nuts, apricot nuts, almonds and pistachios.

Dry fruits have figured in International trade for a very long time. Pakistan continues to export dry fruits in sizeable quantities. For exports, they are carefully selected, graded, processed and packaged to meet the requirement of customers in several countries and in accordance to international standards.

The kernel of pine nuts is available in large quantities in Pakistan but the better liked dry fruits are almond, walnut, pistachio and raisin. Currant and dried plum are also available. Almonds, walnuts and pistachios are available in shell form, with kernel inside or in kernel form. Pistachios in shell are also salted to produce a special flavor.

Everthing is tasty

In many homes in Pakistan, especially during the cold weather, almonds, walnuts, pistachios and raisins are used as attractive accompaniment to evening tea. Such use of these dry fruits has spread to western countries as well.

Major centers for collection and distribution of dry fruits are located in the North West Frontier Province at Peshawar and in Baluchistan at Quetta.

DATES
Date is a fruit of hot and dry region. It is produced in abundance in the desert plains of Pakistan, mostly in Sindh, Baluchistan and Punjab. It is a delicious and nutritious fruit. Its flesh, edible part contains 58 percent sugar and 2 percent each of protein, fat and minerals.

They are also used as ingredient in a variety of dishes. Thinly sliced pieces of almonds and pistachios are also spread over several dishes as an attractive dressing. Almond and oil extracted from the kernel are used medicinally as well.

In terms of quantity, major items of export are dry dates, pine nuts and raisins. But the export of almonds, walnuts and pistachios has also been making good progress.

Contactos Importantes
Trade Development Authority of Pakistan

Pakistan Horticulture Development and Export Board

http://www.tdap.gov.pk http://www.phdeb.org.pk http://www.smeda.org http://www.tcp.gov.pk http://www.epza.gov.pk http://www.fpcci.com.pk

http://www.karachichamber.com

PERFORMANCE
Dry fruits have been a significant item of Pakistans export trade, which is channeled through the countrys port city, Karachi. The metropolis has organized market for the dry fruits which arrive here from the producing areas mostly in the north. Almonds, walnuts, pistachios, raisins and currants come from Baluchistan as well.

These dry fruits were also exportable by Afghanistan but because of the situation obtaining in that country, their availability remains uncertain, while exports from Pakistan continue.

Date trees are indigenous to Pakistan and are grown in villages around homes, fields and pathways. In recent years, as the demand increased within the country and for exports, modern date farms have also been set up. Simultaneously, local and multinational companies have established well equipped factories for processing and packaging dates. Dates from Pakistan are exported in sizable quantities, in bulk as well as in packets. Among the countries which import Pakistani dates is Saudi Arabia, itself a date growing country, which requires large quantities of dates during Hajj, the annual congregation of world Muslims at Makkah. Among the importing countries are also several European and South-Asian countries.

SMEDA TCP EPZA FPCCI Karachi Chamber of Commerce Lahore Chamber of Commerce Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce Sialkot Chamber of Commerce American Chamber of Commerce

http://www.lcci.com.pk http://www.fcci.com.pk http://www.scci.com.pk http://www.abcpkrg.pk

EMBASSY OF PAKISTAN
Commercial Section
Hegel 512, Colonia Polanco, Delegacin Miguel Hidalgo CP 11570

Mxico D.F.
Telphone: +5255-5203-4280; Fax: +5255-5254-8102

E-mail: pakmextrade@gmail.com

The date tree, in addition to its fruits also yields sap which is used to make gur and also as a beverage. Its leaf stalks are utilized for making wickerwork and leaves are woven into mats.